The Broadsheet
Issue No.10
Spring 2011
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THE VOICE OF THE FRIENDS OF BROADWATER AND WORTHING CEMETERY______
FRIENDS OF THE LOTTERY
The goods news in January was that the second instalment of the Heritage Lottery
Funding monies amounting to £12,400 had been received to help pay for the
important projects tabulated in the original bid. This will help the Friends meet all of
their original objectives ranging from cemetery signs and interpretation boards to
the publication of various of books and literature, recording the many aspects of the
history of our cemetery from its origins and notable 'residents' to the stories behind
our many military graves. There is a small balance of funding still to be paid, which
will be forwarded upon the final submission of invoices. Overall a modest
contingency will remain for the Friends to make indispensable acquisitions,
including IT equipment to assist with grave location searches to benefit visitors,
some basic equipment and tools for maintaining the cemetery, and possibly a
secure metal storage cabinet. The timing of our original bid was impeccable
because the availability of funds may be less certain in the current economic
climate. We are all grateful to those at the Heritage Lottery Fund for their valuable
assistance in getting our group off the ground and to our Chairman for his
considerable input to our bid. Information on all of our various activities that have,
we hope, satisfactorily met the conditions and stipulations of the funding
agreement, as well as a statement on various aspects of implementation, will
shortly be submitted for approval.
Publications on the History of Broadwater and Worthing Cemetery by Paul Robards
and also the history and stories behind the large number of Military Graves in the
cemetery by Chris Green, are nearing completion and should appear in print
shortly. Also plot markers and large double sided interpretation boards have been
ordered, which should all appear in the cemetery within the next few weeks. The
population of the interpretation boards (and the precise content thereof) is presently
under discussion and a final decision is expected shortly. The prioritisation of
remaining short term acquisitions is for future debate and agreement at forthcoming
meetings.
1.
VARIETY IS THE SPICE OF LIFE
The knowledge and expertise of the Friends has become so in-depth that
the range and subject of cemetery tours is being expanded considerably for
the coming season. In order to maintain public interest and to encourage
the population at large to attend the cemetery for tours on more than a
single occasion, themed tours with a difference have now made the
quantum leap from a wish list to reality. In addition to general tours at
11.00 on the first Saturday in each and every month from April to October
2011, the following special tours have now been scheduled. Tell all of your
friends and contacts and make a note in your diaries. All Friends should
also participate by joining as many of these educational tours as possible.
2 April:
Normal tours at 11.00 and 12.00
7 May:
Normal tour at 11.00
Centenarian Tour at 12.00
4 June:
Normal tour at 11.00
Mayors of Worthing Tour at 12.00
2 July:
Normal tour at 11.00
The Typhoid Epidemic Tour at 12.00
6 August: (Open Day)
Normal Tour at 12.00
Military Tours at 11.00 and 13.00
3 September:
Normal Tour at 11.00
Shopkeepers and Businessmen Tour at 12.00
1 October:
Normal Tour at 11.00
Salvation Army Tour at 12.00
Please don't forget that on the same dates as these tours take place it is
also a 'DROP-IN' maintenance day – the first Saturday of every month
throughout the year – weather permitting. See you all there!
2.
BENCHMARK
Cemetery benches have been in the news. As reported in the last issue of THE
BROADSHEET the Richard Jefferies Society had donated a hardwood bench to
the Cemetery but there were practical difficulties in any manufacturer
guaranteeing that any bench would be made of the specified English
hardwood. Consequently a metal bench has now been ordered and it should
be delivered in the near future. Hopefully the bench will prove to be vandal
proof.
There is no room for complacency in terms of vandalism simply because there
have been few serious incidents during the past couple of years. Friend Frank
Ffitch had secured one of our wooden benches to the ground by cementing
three metal leg extensions into the ground to a depth of 9 inches or so.
However shortly after completing the work the bench was ripped out of the
ground by persons unknown and moved some 20 feet from its original
location. It has since been replaced by Frank but any further attempt to secure
the seat to the ground will require discussion at a future meeting.
WE'VE GOT A NEW SET OF WHEELS
Our long term wish list for some redundant old style wheelie bins to remove
cemetery rubbish and cuttings has been answered by the Council. Three large
disused bins were found and kindly donated to the Friends. When the bins
were delivered they were stacked inside each other but two of the three bins
had no wheels, the description of 'wheelie bin' being in this case something of
a misnomer! The situation will be remedied shortly. In the meantime a Council
spokesman said we had “bin wheelie, wheelie unlucky”! All that the Friends
now need to get going is a new set of wheels, or should that be two sets?
IN THE NEWS AGAIN
Broadwater and Worthing Cemetery has featured in news stories in the
WORTHING HERALD dated 3 February 2011 and in the WORTHING JOURNAL
March 2011 issue. It could just be that our Media Officer Paul Holden is to blame.
3.
DOGGY DOO DOO DOWNER
Your Editor is a dog lover and dog (and cat) owner but in his view there appears
to be some muddled thinking within the ranks of Worthing Council concerning
new proposed 'Dog Control Orders'. To be applauded is the Council's attempt to
get tough with ignorant dog owners who persist in their failure to clean-up after
their pets. The community at large but especially schoolchildren and sporting
types who use recreation grounds are pressing the Council to get tough on the
culprits. The orders will replace existing local bye-laws. The orders will cover the
dog owning public cleaning up after their dogs, the number of dogs allowed on
leads, where dogs should be kept on leads and where dogs should be excluded. The
proposals will extend the area of the promenade where dogs should be kept on
leads. That all sounds fair enough, if one can ever find a Dog Warden, which the
Editor has not seen on a single occasion during the past 20 years!
However the Council are now intending to let dogs be taken into cemeteries
on leads! Dogs will continue to be banned from the Crematorium. I don't know
about you but I do not want dogs urinating or defecating on my Great
Grandfather's grave! In getting tough in one area and illogically relaxing the rules
in 'our' area a Council spokesperson said “This is a change to the current bye-law
and recognises the special relationship between families and their dogs in visiting
loved ones”. So, people do not clean-up after their dogs in a park but magically do
clean up in a cemetery. What gobbledegook. We will all have to wear surgical
gloves on further maintenance days if this ridiculous order comes to pass. If you
want information or to 'howl' with protest you should contact
lesley.heath@adur.gov.uk or visit www.worthing.gov.uk , or let your feelings be
known to your Councillor NOW as we enter a 'consultation' period.
MEMBERSHIP ON THE 'UP'
Although still a tiny fraction of the population our Membership Secretary Mary Pickett has
confirmed that we are now a group of 65 Friends – but we really do need more members. The
public can be apathetic at times but you would have thought that as interest in genealogy and
heritage matters grows that we would have a larger membership. It seems we must all redouble our efforts. We will have to use our persuasive skills on our Tours and Open Days.
YOUR NUMBER'S 'UP'!
Please note that following a severe beating by Rosemary Pearson your Editor has, for
the first time, included page numbers in this issue of THE BROADSHEET.
4.
CEMETERY HUMOUR
There was a serious air crash in Ireland this morning. A small two seater Cessna
light aircraft crashed into a cemetery near Londonderry. Irish search and rescue
services rushed to the scene and so far they have recovered 2,826 bodies! They
expect the number to climb as they continue their search into the night. [with
thanks to the late Tommy Cooper]
-------------------------------------------------------------------------
Mick and Paddy were wandering beside a country road that ran next to a cemetery
and as they went along they were reading the gravestones. Mick suddenly shouts
“Crikey, there's a bloke here who was 152”. In reply Paddy bawls “What was his
name”. Mick bellows “Miles from London”! [apologies to my good friend Seamus]
-------------------------------------------------------------------------John Stepney was in the cemetery last week and he came across a man kneeling
beside a grave openly weeping. He sobbed “Oh why did you have to die – you have
made me so unhappy”. John enquired if it was the grave of a loved one, to which the
man replied “No, it is the grave of my wife's first husband”. [blame John Stepney]
BURY THE RELATIVES IN THE
GARDEN?
There was a most unusual item on the agenda of the Worthing Burial Board
at their meeting on 6 July 1854. The meeting was held at Worthing Town Hall
with Mr Tribe in the chair. It had come to the Board's attention that a Mr
Gaisford of Offington had buried a relative on land in Crescent Road.
It was resolved that “The Clerk write to Mr Gaisford, a member of whose
family had lately been buried on land in Crescent Road, calling his attention
to an Order in Council of 29 March 1854 prohibiting the opening of new burial
places within the Parish without the consent of the Secretary of State”.
It is unknown whether the burial on unconsecrated private land was in order
to save on funeral expenses or whether there was a more sinister motive.
The Burial Board agreed on 22 June 1891 that a tender in the sum of £22
from Mr Standbridge be accepted for the building of a urinal in the cemetery
and for two enamel 'Gentlemen' plates to be obtained from Worthing Town
Council. 120 years later there is no loo at the cemetery! Closets for Ladies
were later supplied in the site's north west corner.
5.
CHRIST CHURCH CRISIS
It was with deep regret that the Friends heard about the wanton vandalism that
occurred in Christ Church churchyard, Worthing where a number of memorials and
headstones were recently knocked over and some smashed. The scene was a sad
reflection on human nature, especially the drunken yobbery that regularly spills over
from the seemingly endless clubs and bars in Chapel Road and surrounding area.
This senseless action invokes negative thoughts amongst the law abiding, people
who justifiably regret no police on the beat, totally impotent magistrates who are
discouraged from imposing sentences that are regarded as a deterrent, and
legislation that allows 24 hour drinking. The law also fails to make these worthless
souls pay the full cost of the damage they cause or for the medical and A&E
treatment that they may receive through their chosen way of life.
Our Chairman Tom Wye made the commendable suggestion that we give our
Saturday March maintenance day to Christ Church. Tom Wye, John Stepney, Paul
Robards, Paul Holden, John Vaughan, Frank Ffitch, Martin Brown and others all
arrived armed with crowbars, tools and glue! Making a more attractive appearance
compared with the 'heavy gang' was Vice-Chair Debra Hillman. The gang moved
headstones, restored several crosses to their former positions, performed
gardening and 'tidying-up' duties and generally made good as best they could. The
group was rewarded by a cup of coffee and an e-mail of thanks was later received
from Christ Church secretary Ken Hobbs. Financial donations have been offered by
surrounding residents to restore the church yard, where possible, to its former glory.
WEB SITE UP-DATES
The 'FBWC' web site domain has been renewed for a further two calendar years.
There have been a number of updates and changes such as the inclusion of a
cemetery site plan plus a link to the 'Worthing Journal' and mention of our Open
Day. All issues of THE BROADSHEET are on-line and further developments are
planned in the near future. The entire subject is being overseen by Debra
Hillman.
Our use of the large display cabinet at Worthing Museum has come to an end and
all Friends pass on their thanks to Debra and Sue Nea for all their hard work in
populating the feature. There is a distinct possibility at some time in the future
that a similar display will be on public show but featuring another aspect of
cemetery history or the work of the Friends. It has also been agreed that an
inventory be prepared detailing all items donated to the Friends by members of
the public.
6.
CELEBRATING OUR CENTENARIANS
We are all proud of our Centenarians mainly because over a century ago life
expectation was such that to survive for 100 years was truly exceptional. It
appears out of a population of 24,888 only 20 survived long enough to see their
100th birthday (that's less than 0.08% or 1 in 1,244). Sue Nea our Civilian
Research leader and Friends have made a special study of the subject and it
appears that 15 of the 20 have headstones. John Stepney has now made 5
wooden crosses for those Centenarians without headstones. Furthermore a
special public tour is being devised that will feature some of these oldest
inhabitants, the first such tour being on the first Saturday in May (see Page 2). As
if all that was not enough a special A5 booklet featuring only our Centenarians is
being compiled and this will be sold for the very modest sum of £1,
approximately twice the production cost, net of Friends time. All of this activity
shows the esteem in which these veterans are held and it is great to see their
lives celebrated.
SATURDAY LECTURES
BY
CHRIS HARE
When I agreed to run a series of lectures for the Friends, I had little idea that I would
be learning so much myself. I imagined that I would need to undertake some original
research to top up my existing knowledge, but as it turned out my existing knowledge
proved no more than a top up for a great deal of new research.
Not only did I find out new information about people from Worthing's past that I
already knew of, such as Alfred Cortis, the town's first Mayor, George French,
arguably the town's most provocative journalist; I also learned of the lives of people I
had not encountered before, such as Caroline Paine, a businesswoman in her own
right, fifty years before the Suffragettes, or poor Loyal Brown Boniface, who blew
his brains out in the Engineer's Arms, following social decline from gentleman to
failed pub landlord.
I was greatly assisted in my endeavours by the help and advice from other Friends,
who kindly allowed me to share in the results of their own researches. In particular,
7.
Paul Robards, Mary McKeown, Tom Wye, Debra Hillman, Chris Green, and Sue Nea
were a valuable source of information and many others gave useful hints and pointers
along the way. The lectures themselves, which took place at the Sidney Walter
Centre, Worthing on Saturdays throughout 2010 proved very popular, thanks to the
widespread publicity in the local press, particularly 'The Sentinel'. Indeed there was
standing room only at the first lecture in April, with some people being turned away.
After that we issued very little publicity, as the lectures seemed to generate their own
momentum.
The first lecture set the scene with an overview of burial customs. Included in this
talk were some traditional songs touching on the subject of death and burial, sung by
the lecturer, to the delight or otherwise of those present. Many people were surprised
to learn about the custom of sin-eating, still current in some rural areas as recently as
one hundred years ago. The sin-eater would eat a meal that had been passed over the
body of the deceased, or even eat off a plate placed on the body. The idea was that the
sin of the departed was transferred to the eater, whose only payment for such a grim
task was the meal itself and some beer or a few pence if he was lucky.
The lecture in May focussed on town worthies, including Aldermen and Councillors
and others with influence in the town. It was quite an emotional moment for me to
find the gravestones of George French and Herbert Jordan, who in their own ways
helped define late Victorian Worthing. French was the arch-conservative, suspicious
and hostile to most changes in the town, while Jordan was the moderniser, calling for
electric street lighting and fresh water supplies pumped from the Downs. Both men
died before their fiftieth birthdays, not nearly as unusual then as it would be today.
The June lecture was all about the typhoid epidemic. Nearly 200 people died and the
survivors put much of the blame on Worthing Town Council, and especially the
mayor, E C Patching, who is buried in the cemetery. The Rev Lancaster, one of
Patching's most dogged critics, was also one of the last victims of the typhoid and he
is also buried at Broadwater and Worthing Cemetery.
Religious disputes were covered in July, when the stories of Sarah Broadhurst and
George Head, the 'Salvation Army' martyrs, who suffered at the hands of their
opponents in the 'Skeleton Army', were retold. The hostility towards the AngloCatholics was remembered and the part played by George Wedd in founding St
Andrew's Church explained. Worthing may not care too much about religion today,
but that was not the case in the days of our grandparents and great-grandparents.
The awful toll of war, and particularly the Great War, formed the theme for the
September talk, with Chris Green's research being the main source of information.
Even after nearly one hundred years, it is still heart-rending to read of the suffering
and sacrifice of those young men, including the three Slaughter brothers – all killed in
that terrible conflict.
8.
The October talk on business and trades people was most memorable for the
contributions made by Rosemary Pearson and her family history of the Paine family,
and Carole Manning, who has much material on her father's family – the Walters.
William Paine was a noted controversialist and Editor of the 'Worthing Intelligencer'.
Sidney Walter was a town Magistrate and founder of the Worthing Youth Council –
the community centre where the talks were being held was named after him in 1966.
The life and works of Richard Jefferies and W H Hudson – both buried at
Broadwater, formed the basis for November's talk. December saw the last lecture,
which looked at curious and unexpected burials, including Mary Hughes, who grew
up believing that the nursery rhyme, 'Mary Had a Little Lamb' was written about her
and the pet lamb she had when she was a girl at school.
This brief resume seems most inadequate, given the great number of other worthy
and fascinating people that were included in the talks. To come face to face with the
headstone of one of these characters from our past is the next best thing to meeting
that individual themselves, as all those who have discovered or 'uncovered' one of
these graves can testify. Broadwater and Worthing Cemetery, restored and once more
loved, thanks to the efforts of the Friends, is a monument to the collective history of
our town, and that history is just as significant when it includes a village midwife or
an officious beadle, as when we consider its Mayors and retired Generals. Rich or
poor: they all have a story to tell.
REV. WILLIAM KEW FLETCHER C9-48-51
By JOHN STEPNEY
Pam and I were recording the monument inscriptions in Section C9 and on
coming to row 48 grave 51 we found a badly worn cross about five feet long lying
on the grass. With great difficulty we made out the following words:“I look for the resurrection of the dead and the life of the world to come”. No
name was visible but the purchase register gave the name of the Rev William Kew
Fletcher. Further research revealed that he had been born in 1802 in Frampton,
Gloucestershire, the son of Thomas and Jane, nee Kew.
In his late 20s William Fletcher had met and fallen in love with an up and coming
young poet and author Maria Jane Jewsbury. She had published poems and articles
in the 'Coventry Herald' and the 'Manchester Gazette' and in 1825 she dedicated
her work 'Phantasmagoria' or 'Sketches of Life and Character' to William
Wordsworth. Later she met the poet and began a friendship with his daughter
9.
Dora. Maria's (Jane's) mother had died some years before and in spite of her
delicate health she was bringing up her 6 younger siblings. When William Fletcher
proposed marriage to her, Maria's father was not pleased. Nevertheless the
marriage took place on 1 August 1832 at Penegroes, Montgomeryshire.
William Fletcher accepted a post as Chaplain to the East India Company and with
his new bride left Gravesend on 13th September 1832 aboard the East Indiaman
'The Victory' for Bombay. On arrival his first posting was at Kurrachee. Maria had
continued her writing throughout the voyage but a tragedy was soon to unfold.
In June 1833 she developed the first signs of cholera. She never recovered and on
4th October of that year she died at Poona aged 33. She had been writing up to 8
days before her death and William added at the end of her last letter home. “More
my beloved never wrote. Eight days after this the spirit became a glorified saint.”
On hearing of her death Wordsworth was said to have remarked “From the first
we had a fore feeling that it would be so ...” .
Maria's sisters tried in vain to collect all her published work from William but he
never replied to their repeated requests. Eventually they found out that he had
married again.
On 9th March 1835 William married Elizabeth Catherine Carr, eldest daughter of
the 1st Bishop of Bombay, the Right Reverend Thomas Carr at St Thomas' Church
Bombay. William and Elizabeth went on to have 5 daughters and 3 sons, all but 2
of the children being born in India. Their son Thomas Carr Fletcher was educated
at Marlborough, served as a Major in India from 1858 to 1876 and died in Durban,
South Africa in 1896. William remained as senior chaplain in Bombay until 1866
when on his return to England he died at Worthing on 27th October 1867 aged 63
years.
Having discovered all this information about the Rev William Kew Fletcher we
wondered if there was more to the grave than we had first seen. We revisited it and
carefully probed around the cross. Sure enough as the turf was rolled back a
perfectly preserved tomb was revealed with a further inscription: 'Here lies the
body of William Kew Fletcher M.A. (senior chaplain Bombay). He died at
Worthing October 27th 1867 aged 63 years'. “Jesus said thy brother shall rise
again”. It seems that in the nearly 150 years since the tomb was put in place it had
sunk about 12 inches and had we not researched the name it might never have
been seen again.
10.
ANN THWAYTES -
(THE LATEST)
By Rosemary Pearson
One of the earlier and more prestigious burials in the Broadwater and Worthing Cemetery was that of
Mrs Ann Thwaytes, a wealthy widow of Charman Dean (or Charmandean as it is now known). Ann was
buried in a vaulted grave in section C4.1-4.10-13, close to the north chapel on 13th April 1866.
Known as much for her strange religious delusions as for her philanthropy, her life in Worthing was
recorded in the books 'Glimpses of Old Worthing' by Snewin and Smail, published in 1945, and
'Notable Houses of Worthing, No.2' by Henfrey Smail, published in 1950. These books were based on
information available at the time (see THE BROADSHEET – Issue 4, Autumn 2009) and recorded
Charman Dean as having been purchased in 1841 by Ann's husband William Thwaytes, who was said
to have died shortly after, in 1843.
It was as a result of Ann Thwaytes' eccentric behaviour that after her death in 1866, her Will was
contested by her sister, Mrs Tebbitt, and two of her sister's children, on the grounds of 'undue
execution, incapacity and undue influence'. The case, 'Smith and Others v Tebbitt and Others', was
heard before the Court of Probate over several days in April and May of 1867, and reported in some
detail in 'The Times' newspaper.
'The Times' is now available on-line and the information extracted from these reports throws some
light on the background of Ann Thwaytes' life, and also shows some of the information in Snewin and
Smail's books to be incorrect, in particular the date of her husband's death. It appears that William
Thwaytes had died some years earlier than previously thought and, in fact, had never lived at
Charmandean.
Ann was born on 2nd October 1789, in the Ball's Pond area of north London. She and her sister, a year
older than herself, came from a humble background and were brought up by their mother, Mrs Hook.
There being no evidence of the existence of a Mr Hook, or that Mrs Hook was ever married, an initial
hearing in the January of 1867 sought to establish whether Ann's sister was a legitimate heir. The
Judge being satisfied that she was, the case contesting Ann's Will opened on 26 th April 1867.
Following the death of their mother in 1803, the two young sisters had to seek employment in order to
support themselves. The elder sister went to live as housekeeper to William Thwaytes, a prosperous
grocer and tea merchant of Fenchurch Street, London. His business was known as Davison, Newman
& Co, of which he had been a partner, then eventually sole owner, and it was this company's tea which
had been thrown overboard at the Boston Tea Party on 16th December 1773. In 1816, Ann's sister
married the head clerk of the business, Mr Tebbitt, and in the same year Ann married William
Thwaytes. At the time of their marriage, William Thwaytes was 67, some 43 years older than his bride!
The two husbands died within months of one another, Mr Tebbitt in 1833 and William Thwaytes in 1834.
Mrs Tebbitt was left a widow with seven children and no means of support. Ann who was childless,
and despite having claimed her husband had tried to poison her with mercury, was left with the bulk of
the fortune of some £700,000. It was around this time that the Smith brothers began to play a
prominent role in proceedings. Mr John 'Simon' Smith was a surgeon with a practice in London, who
had attended William Thwaytes in the last years of his life. He had also attended Ann Thwaytes two
years before the death of her husband for a somewhat bizarre condition. During this illness, Ann is
reported to have had a slight fever and been in a nervous state, for some ten weeks sitting facing the
wall and claiming to be blind. When she recovered, she maintained that every part of her body had
been renewed, that she was immortal and part of the Trinity, and had important work to do, along with
the Doctor.
11.
Ann became very close to Simon Smith, and at her request he gave up his practice in the city in order
to manage her affairs, for which he was paid £2,000 a year. After the death of her husband, and before
his burial, Ann made a Will which, apart from a small annuity to her sister and sister's children, left all
the residue to Simon Smith. Shortly afterwards, she was introduced to Simon's brother, Samuel Smith,
a widowed stockbroker with two daughters.
In 1840, Ann purchased a town house at 17 Hyde Park Gardens, and the following year bought
Charmandean as a country residence. After paying off his debts of some £3,000, she invited Samuel
Smith and his daughters to live with her at Charmandean, during which time they were entirely
supported by her. She also paid for the daughters' education and they remained at the property until
they married. Simon Smith lived with his family at Croydon, and visited Ann fortnightly to manage her
affairs. This work on occasion seemed to require very large sums of money. Samuel Smith, meanwhile,
managed the day to day household accounts.
During her time at Charmandean, Ann became known for her acts of generosity towards the people of
the local community. One of her earliest acts was to distribute coal to the poor, and this became a
regular occurrence with the formation of a local coal distribution society which she supported. She
became friendly with Dr Frederick Dixon and his wife. Dr Dixon was a founder of the Worthing
Dispensary in Ann Street in 1829, and as its first consulting surgeon, became known for his work
among the poorer patients, whom he treated free. When he sought funds to purchase land for the
building of a new Infirmary, Ann Thwaytes was a generous subscriber. Dr Dixon was also remembered
for his studies as a geologist, and after his untimely death at a relatively young age, she helped
finance the posthumous publication of his book 'The Geology of Sussex'.
Ann also provided financial support to the church at Broadwater. She contributed £100 towards the
cost of a new organ and undertook to pay an annual stipend of £40 to the organist. In addition, she
made a donation towards the cost of a stained glass window in memory of the Rector, the Rev Peter
Wood and his chaplain, the Rev William Davison.
When Ann first purchased Charmandean, it was a plain double fronted Georgian house, but
throughout her occupancy, she made many improvements and additions to the property. After
contributing towards the cost of repairs to the chancel of the church, she was apparently permitted to
take away some of the materials removed from the church, including some panelling which she used
to panel one of the rooms, and a stained glass window which was placed in the wall of a room used as
a chapel. One of the final additions was a splendid iron framed conservatory, and at around the same
time, two pairs of wrought iron gates, said to have been replicas of the ones which formerly stood at
the front of Buckingham Palace, were installed at the entrance to the estate. The gates to the western
entrance were removed by the authorities during the Second World War, but the gates at the eastern
entrance still remain in Charmandean Lane, the last remnants of a once beautiful country estate.
While seemingly happy to provide support for the local community throughout her time at
Charmandean, Ann's relationship with members of her family was to deteriorate. She had initially been
very supportive towards her sister after the deaths of their husbands, purchasing her a house in
Clapham in which she was to live, rent free, until her death. Ann lived with her for a few months until
moving to Finsbury Park in August 1835. At this time she made out a deed giving Mrs Tebbitt £30,000
for life, though when giving evidence at the hearing at which she was contesting her sister's Will, Mrs
Tebbitt maintained that Ann had done this at the suggestion of Simon Smith 'to keep the family out of
her pocket'. Over the next few years, Ann was to fall out with all members of her family, although she
continued to help them financially throughout her life. She first became estranged from her sister after
her offer of a cadetship for one of her nephews was turned down. This so offended Ann that she
12.
summoned her sister to Charmandean, and in the hearing of servants, told her that she had been
advised by 'friends' to never have any communication with her again.
Some years later she was visited by a niece, who, despite their meeting going well, was asked not to
come again. However in 1850 she was visited by another niece, Mrs Cook, with whom she became very
friendly, and in 1854 Ann bought a house for her and her family in Broadwater. This friendship lasted
until 1857 when they fell out over some money Ann had given them, and Mrs Cook was asked to leave
the house. They had no further contact after this, though Ann continued to pay them an allowance of
£450 per year. It later transpired that throughout the time of their friendship, Ann had discussed her
religious ideas with this niece, and that Mr Cook had bought a notebook for his wife in which she was
to keep a diary of her aunt's sayings, though the motive for this was not clear.
Ann's delusions had lasted over 30 years, and seemed to manifest themselves especially at the time of
the full moon, when she would dress all in white, and order her coachman to drive her in her yellow
painted carriage, past the Sussex Pad, over the Old Shoreham Bridge, and back home again, much to
the consternation of local inhabitants.
It appears that those to whom she revealed her beliefs were mainly servants and tradespersons who
were willing to listen. To those who disagreed or would not listen, she never broached the subject
again. Although she observed Sunday, Ann did not attend church but would occasionally have a
sermon read to her. In spite of her supposed ignorance of religious matters, according to one witness,
she nonetheless firmly believed herself to be the Bride of Christ, and that Judgement Day was to take
place in the drawing room of her house at Hyde Park, which had been specially prepared at great
expense. Despite maintaining that she was immortal, in 1864 she purchased a vault for herself and
Simon Smith at Broadwater and Worthing Cemetery.
At the time of her death, Ann Thwaytes' estate was valued at around £400,000, a fortune in those days.
Although a considerable sum, questions were raised as to why it was not even more, even allowing for
the cost of running the household, various donations, and payments to the Smiths. The Will made no
mention of Ann's sister, Mrs Tebbitt, although £45,000 was left to her children. There were many
generous bequests to nearly all the servants and others with whom Ann had contact, including £5,000
to Dr Collett who had been attending her before she died. To Samuel Smith, she left £30,000, plus half
the residue. Charmandean was left to Dr Simon Smith for his lifetime, to then pass to his brother, plus
the other half of the residue.
At the hearing, after the background to the case had been heard, witnesses both for and against the
Will were called. Those 'for' were mainly legatees, who claimed that Ann was a woman of strong will
and very capable in the management of her affairs. None had noticed any sign of insanity in Mrs
Thwaytes, and Dr Smith insisted that he knew nothing of the contents of the Will, and that Ann had
never once mentioned his role as part of the Trinity.
Those against the Will were people who had been sought out by Ann's nephew, Mr Tebbitt, mainly
servants and tradespersons. Despite some differences in their stories, the main substance of the
delusions which Ann had revealed to them was much the same.
The Judge delivered his verdict on 6th August 1867. His judgement was based entirely on whether, in
law, Ann Thwaytes could have been considered to have been of sound mind when the Will was drawn
up. Since in the opinion of various medical experts, it was improbable that anyone could be suffering
from 'monomania', that is, delusions on one particular subject, yet be quite normal at all other times,
he had no option but to conclude that Ann was of unsound mind, and to find against the Will. In his
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summing up, however, he said that if the ruling had gone the other way, he would have wished to
consider further whether the Smith brothers had exerted any undue influence.
Thus, several aspects of the case remain unanswered. Did William Thwaytes really try to poison his
wife? In his Will, he refers to Ann as his 'beloved wife' and names her as joint executrix and main
beneficiary, hardly the actions of a man who had set out to poison her. Was Ann justified in her
complaints about her family's treatment of her? She had been very generous in giving them financial
support, but they would no doubt have been upset at her treatment of them on occasions. And what
was the true extent of the influence of the Smith brothers? When Dr Simon Smith was attending the
elderly William Thwaytes during the last years of his life he was looking after a very wealthy man with
a still young and possibly poorly educated wife. Ann's delusions appear to stem from the time of her
unexplained illness. Was she insane or being drugged? It is certainly a possibility. The Smith brothers
played a substantial part in her life – were they 'friends' who advised her to cut off her relationship
with her family? We may never know!
2011 SUMMARY OF OBJECTIVES
There being no peace for the wicked, or it seems the righteous, our
Chairman has tabled a few objectives for the Friends to meet
during the forthcoming 'season'. What will your contribution be?
Complete and publish our Definitive History of the cemetery and
also a book on the Military Graves and Memorials to be found in
the cemetery, as well as at least drafting a second 'A to Z' book. We
also need to sell more of the literature we have already produced.
Procure and position Plot Markers and procure, position and
populate Interpretation Boards. Continue to run popular tours.
We need to continue with memorial logging, ensure all research is
written-up and available to the media, attract even more members,
plan for our Open Day, and attract visitors and interest groups.
EDITORIAL RAMBLINGS
Enjoy your 'early' Spring reading of the BROADSHEET. Will researchers/Friends please
send me some brief stories of their findings, circa 400-700 words is optimum, and
remember immortality is available here! Do try to participate in our remarkable
range of proactive activities, even though 'passive' support is still very much
appreciated. Enjoy the page numbers (!) - all part of continually trying to improve the
product - and the daffodils. Next issue 'Summer 2011' due on 1 July.
JOHN VAUGHAN
EDITOR
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